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Confusion erupts in Karen Read murder trial as jurors backtrack on verdict announcement

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Confusion erupts in Karen Read murder trial as jurors backtrack on verdict announcement

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There was confusion surrounding a potential verdict in the Karen Read murder trial Wednesday, according to Judge Beverly Cannone, who called the sides back around 2 p.m. only to tell them jurors had backtracked.

“I received word from a court officer that the jury had knocked on the door, indicating that they had a verdict,” Cannone said in court. “But before I could even summon everybody into court…shortly thereafter, they knocked again and said they didn’t have a verdict.”

She sealed the unseen verdict slip and entered it into evidence without anyone other than the jurors having seen it.

KAREN READ JURY QUESTIONS SUGGEST SAME LEGAL DILEMMA AS LAST YEAR’S MISTRIAL

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WATCH: Judge Cannone explains confusion in court over potential Karen Read verdict

“So we do not have a verdict, because as we all know, there is no verdict until it is announced and recorded in open court,” she said. “So we are still awaiting a verdict.”

She asked everyone to remain in the courthouse for the rest of the day.

Karen Read signs to supporters as she leaves Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. Read is charged with killing her Boston police officer boyfriend by intentionally driving her SUV into him. (Richard Beetham for Fox News Digital)

Read, 45, is accused of killing boyfriend John O’Keefe, 46, in a drunken hit-and-run Jan. 29, 2022, outside a party in Canton, Massachusetts.

Were Karen Read’s unorthodox media interviews a next-level strategic move from her defense?

Maybe, according to one Massachusetts legal expert following the case.

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After her first trial, which ended with a deadlocked jury last year, she sat down with multiple reporters to tell her side of the story, a move many legal experts have called ill-advised. But it may have a payoff because jurors appear focused on a lesser charge that she may have admitted to on video.

Karen Read signs to supporters while exiting Norfolk Superior Court for lunch Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Richard Beetham for Fox News Digital)

“She was ‘testifying’ when she made those statements, knowing they could be used in court,” said Grace Edwards, a criminal defense trial attorney. “Crazy as it seems, this may have been a strategy to give the jury something to hang their hat on and find her guilty of the OUI and get this done.”

She was referring to the charge of operating under the influence, a topic jurors asked multiple questions about Tuesday during the third day of deliberations after more than 30 days of trial testimony.

KAREN READ’S VERDICT COULD COME FAST – OR NOT: HERE’S WHAT OTHER CASES SHOW

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WATCH: Prosecution in Karen Read trial uses Read’s own words to dismantle defense’s theory

“That’s an interesting theory – fall on the sword for the OUI to spare her the more serious offenses,” said Randolph Rice, the Maryland legal analyst and attorney who represents the family of slain mother of five Rachel Morin. “That would be a risky play for the defense.”

Read the amended verdict slip for Count 2:

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Still, he said, the common thinking is that defendants should avoid speaking to the media.

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“I’m sure the Karen Read camp is feeling good right now,” he added. “Cautious optimism.”

Read the original verdict slip:

The top charge against Read, second-degree murder, could land her a life prison sentence if she’s convicted. Lesser charges include drunken driving, manslaughter and leaving a deadly accident.

WATCH: Karen Read recounts night of drinking at local bar in 2024 television interview

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The manslaughter charge also includes additional lesser charges that jurors could find her guilty of, including operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor, which carries a much lighter sentence and doesn’t include the homicide charge.

Read did not take the stand in her own defense but spoke to reporters outside court almost every day. After her mistrial last year, she sat for numerous news and documentary interviews and even invited a magazine writer to stay at her house for a weekend.

Murder defendant Karen Read speaks with reporters after leaving the courthouse in Dedham, Mass., June 6, 2025. (Richard Beetham for Fox News Digital)

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Special prosecutor Hank Brennan subpoenaed the unedited source material from reporters and played a handful of clips in court in front of the jury.

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In one, which appeared to be related to what jurors had questions about, Read discussed spiking her own drinks in the hours before O’Keefe’s death because she didn’t think the bartender was making them strong enough.

“The drinks that they were pouring me at McCarthy’s, which was where I consumed most of the alcohol, was the weakest vodka tonic,” she said. “It tasted just like all soda water with lime, not that I need it to be a martini, but it might have a splash of vodka in it.”

Officer John O’Keefe (Boston Police Department)

Jurors asked the judge four questions Tuesday, many of them focused on the OUI charge.

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  1. “What is the timeframe for the OUI charge? 12:45 or 5 a.m.?”
  2. “Are video clips of Karen’s interviews evidence?”
  3. “Does convicting guilty on a subcharge, for example offense 2 No. 5, convict the overall charge?”
  4. “If we find not guilty on two charges but can’t agree on one charge, is it a hung jury on all three charges or just one charge?”

Jurors failed to reach a verdict by the end of the day Tuesday. Deliberations resume Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. ET.

“I still think it’s good for her right now,” Rice told Fox News Digital. “Reading between the lines, I think they can’t find the intent needed for two counts and are trying to figure out the reckless component.” 

Read faces up to life in prison if convicted on the most serious charge of second-degree murder. Some of the OUI-related charges also carry multi-year penalties, Edwards said.



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Northeast

Massachusetts man accused of beating parents and setting home on fire, leaving them to die

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Massachusetts man accused of beating parents and setting home on fire, leaving them to die

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A man was arrested after allegedly beating his elderly parents, lighting their Massachusetts home on fire and leaving them in the residence despite their pleas for help, according to authorities.

Darius Hazard, 44, was charged with murder and arson after his parents — 76-year-old Venture and 83-year-old Donald — were found dead in the living room of their burned North Adams home on Monday, according to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office.

Hazard confessed to physically assaulting his parents inside their home, pouring gasoline on the floor and setting the house on fire before driving away and abandoning them in the burning structure, investigators said.

Both of the suspect’s parents were found dead in the home by firefighters who responded to the blaze at about 7 a.m. on Monday. The medical examiner ruled their cause of death as smoke inhalation.

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ILLINOIS MAN CHARGED WITH ARSON AFTER ALLEGEDLY SETTING HOME ABLAZE ON THANKSGIVING

Darius Hazard, 44, was charged with murder and arson. (North Adams Police Department)

Police later took Hazard into custody at a Walmart parking lot. Officers frisked him, and he said he had a knife in his car. He said he had attempted to stab himself, and he had injuries to his thigh and chest.

Prosecutors said Hazard told the officers he became “really, really angry” while he and his father were helping his mother, who had difficulty walking and suffered from advanced arthritis and scoliosis, after she fell around 3 a.m., court documents show, according to WNYT.

“I guess I snapped,” he said.

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Darius Hazard confessed to physically assaulting his parents inside their home, pouring gasoline on the floor and setting the house on fire, investigators said. (North Adams Police Department)

Hazard was yelling at them and hitting them repeatedly, the outlet reported. His father told him to stop, which he eventually did. He then shoved both parents to the floor and struck them with various objects, as well as his fist. He even threw a fan at his father.

He poured gasoline on the floor upstairs and in the living room, set a match and drove away.

His parents were injured, but alive when he left. He told police they were yelling “come back” and “help me, help us, we are in trouble” as he left the home.

WHO IS JONATHAN RINDERKNECHT, PALISADES FIRE SUSPECT ACCUSED OF SPARKING DEADLY BLAZE?

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Darius Hazard told officers he became “really, really angry” while he and his father were helping his mother after she fell around 3 a.m. (North Adams Police Department)

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Hazard said he knew he should not have lost his cool like this. He said he had lost his temper in the past and yelled or broken things, but this was the first time he assaulted his parents.

He has pleaded not guilty and remains held without bail at Berkshire County House of Correction, News 10 reported.

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Boston, MA

BU spoils Northeastern final game at Matthews Arena

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BU spoils Northeastern final game at Matthews Arena


BOSTON – Before the lights went out at Matthews Arena for the last time, they shined brightly on Boston University center Brandon Svoboda.

The sophomore from Pittsburgh scored two goals including the game-winner at 18:21 of the third to lift the Terriers to a 4-3 victory over Northeastern, on Saturday night. Svoboda’s fourth of the season was the final goal scored at Northeastern’s historic Matthews Arena.

The Terriers’ victory over the Huskies was the last sporting event played inside Matthews Arena, which officially opened its doors as Boston Arena in April of 1910.

“I got a lucky bounce and I capitalized on it and put it in the back of the net,” said Svoboda. “Playing the last game ever in this building is pretty special and what was it, 1910 this place was built so it was pretty special being the last team playing in this building.

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“We are a young group and we are figuring it out so it was obviously a big deal to get a W in the last game in this arena.”

BU improved to 9-8-1 and 6-3-0 in Hockey East going into the semester break while the No. 11 Huskies fell to 10-6-0 and 5-4-0 in the conference.

“It was just a big win for us going into the semester break,” said BU coach Jay Pandolfo. “The first half has not been ideal for us so to finish it that way, to come back in the third period to win a hockey game in this environment, where this is their last home game here and they wanted to win and we found a way to pull it off.”

Northeastern purchased the structure in 1979 and renamed it Matthews Arena three years later. The demolition of the old barn nestled between Mass. Ave and Gainsborough Street will begin in January and the new arena is scheduled to go online in September of 2028.

“Having a new facility is definitely a big selling point,” said NU coach Jerry Keefe. “It is going to have all the amenities you need to develop players and I think this generation of recruits like the shiny and the new.”

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The first Beanpot Tournament was played at Boston Arena in 1952, so it seemed appropriate that Northeastern would play its final game against a neighboring Beanpot opponent. BU played its home games at Boston Arena from 1918 to 1971 before moving into its new facility on Babcock Street.

Pandolfo enjoyed many Matthews moments both on the ice and behind the bench. Pandolfo also played in the final Beanpot game at the old Boston Garden.

“I always enjoyed playing here that’s for sure,” Pandolfo said. “It was a fun place to play and I always enjoyed it and I enjoyed coaching there. It is a great environment and a special old building.

“That’s the biggest attachment for me and that I just enjoyed it. My grandfather played at Northeastern, my mom’s dad and that makes it special as well. It was also Boston University’s home rink as well for a long time and that is a big reason we are here closing it out with Northeastern.”

The Huskies had some extra zip in their blades that created several scoring opportunities, all of which deftly handled by BU netminder Mikhail Yegorov.

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NU went up 1-0 on a power play goal by freshman center Jacob Mathieu at 11:28 of the first. Mathieu found an opening outside the BU crease and redirected Giacomo Martino’s wrister from the left circle for his fifth of the season.

NU went up 2-0 at 14:36 when junior center Tyler Fukakusa finished a two-on-one break with his second goal of the season. BU got on the board when Svoboda netted a power play goal at 17:40, his third of the season.

“We were playing fine but we just made some mistakes so to get out of that first period 2-1 was important no question about that,” said Pandolfo.

BU tied the game 2-2 on sophomore center Sacha Boisvert’s second of the season at 13:38 of the second. NU went up 3-2 when sophomore left wing Joe Connor beat the buzzer at 19:59 with his sixth of the season. NU tied the game 3-3 on Kamil Bednarik tally at 18:02 of the third. Svoboda would score 19 seconds later to complete the comeback.

“You give up a late goal at the end of the second period after a power play, that can really hurt you,” said Pandolfo. “But our guys were determined to come back.”

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Pittsburg, PA

Pittsburgh braces for heavy snowfall and frigid temperatures | Live First Alert Weather

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Pittsburgh braces for heavy snowfall and frigid temperatures | Live First Alert Weather


A Winter Storm Warning goes into effect at 1 p.m. for counties south of Allegheny County, and a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Allegheny County and others to the north. 

National Weather Service issues Winter Storm Warning

Earlier this week, the National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for parts of the Pittsburgh area along and south of I-70 for today and Sunday due to what they described as “a band of heavier snow.” 

As of Friday evening, nearly all of the Pittsburgh area is expected to see between two and four inches of snow. 

In Pittsburgh, the estimate is 3-5 inches and 5-10 for the ridges. 

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Snow will be coupled with frigid temperatures

As the snow tapers off around midnight Sunday morning, it will remain scattered, but cold air will follow, leaving the low temperatures in the single digits, and the wind chill below zero as gusts could reach up to 15-20mph. 

Road crews prepare for winter storm

Crews across western Pennsylvania say that they’re prepared for the impending snowfall

In Allegheny County, there are two dozen trucks and more than 9,000 tons of salt at the ready. 

Even with the preparations, they’re asking those who don’t need to go out to stay off the roads in order to give them the space to clear them. 

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